Kenza

I thought it was pretty interesting at first, but that faded as it went. I also thought it was longer than necessary. A fun listen, though! 3.5

124/1089 - Neat! I'm completely unfamiliar with this, excited to listen. After listening, it's pretty westernized (drum beats mostly except for one of the last songs) and kinda doesn't go anywhere. Good voice though.

I liked the groove of this one, except for the Imagine cover, as others have mentioned. Maybe not something I'd listen to regularly, but I enjoyed it.

Couldn’t get this album but liked his other stuff

Unfortunately do not understand Arabic but there was range shown in the music on the different tracks and this guy seems pretty talented. Won’t re-listen, but was a good once through and was definitely different than anything I have had yet

I love the variation on this record in terms of content, tone, and language. The Arabic stuff still hits the hardest. Did not care for his John Lennon cover. I’ll come back to it. Rai is a cool genre I wasn’t aware of beforehand.

Interesting album , at least what I heard on YouTube since it wasn’t on Spotify. The version of Imagine was great.

This sounds good, I like it even though obviously I don't understand the lyrics as I don't speak arabic. Fuck "Imagine" though, this may have been 4 stars if not for that. With this not on Spotify, I'm not sure if I listened to it 100%, but definitely got enough of the songs to count it in my book.

I generally don't listen to any Middle Eastern music, it reminds me too much of the background music in M.E. restaurant. The first time through I wasn't too focused on the songs and rode it off as something I didn't care for, but I listened to it a second time (usually if I can't figure out an opinion) and it was better. It's a fun listen for what it is and there was much to like, or at least, it was enjoyable enough to listen to it all. Still not my style, but this could be worth exploring more, in a proper state of mind.

Favorite Track: Aalach Tloumouni

3.5

The fact that this is on here is so funny puts it up to a 2, the imagine cover makes it a 3 but I couldn’t finish the album because it’s an hour twenty long so who knows it could’ve been a 5 star

This album isn’t on Spotify. But since I don’t speak Arabic what’s it matter? I listened to another one. He’s like the Algerian Bad Bunny.

ekki fyrir mig, vakti þó upp skemmtileg hugrenningartengsl. er blanda af norður-afrískri/miðjarðarhafstónlist og raftónlistartrommutöktum tímabilsins. ábyggilega gott til síns brúks en lítill heimstónlistarmaður.

It’s fair to say I didn’t have high hopes for this - nearly an hour and twenty minutes of Algerian pop, with an average rating of around 2.5 on the site. However, it comfortably exceeded those hopes. It’s not great by any stretch, but it’s also not bad at all. I suppose the 2.5 score is probably about right, as it is very ok, but I’m going on the high side of it.

Pretty cool, the mix was very interesting. Glad to be exposed to it.

I think I tend to rate things too high when they're in genres I'm unfamiliar with. I read a couple of the other reviews and one referred to it as "standard issue for all cab drivers" which is hilarious and very accurate. Very enjoyable listen but not something that I'd regularly come back to.

Reminds me of when I spent too much time hanging in my friend's uncle's Moroccan bar. They loved Cheb Khaled there.

Fun songs with a neat middle east flavor, however the style of singing isn't something I've really been exposed to and feels like a taste I haven't acquired

Pretty chill honestly. Why did he do imagine though hahaha

Definitely a genre of heard in various kebab or middle eastern sweet shops. Like a few other people, I preferred it when it went less euro pop, although that's not what Khaled and presumably his audience wanted, and raises lots of questions about authenticity and who values it. Anyway, interesting enough and had a few good songs, do gets a 3.

It’s alright, and I like that it’s different from the others on the list. I still don’t get that much out of it, though, and it’s only on YouTube, which doesn’t lower my rating but still.

Another album not on Apple Music. Listened on YouTube and I’ll never listen to it voluntarily again but I did enjoy it. “Imagine” was a surprise and as most “Imagine” covers, well done.

2.5/5 Pleasantly surprised by this album. Not an album I would buy or listen to in my free time, but it does put a smile on my face. First Arabic album I ever listened to. It has a lot of variety, from more classic Arabic to pop and almost electronic music. I forgive him for ruining imagine, because the rest of the album was good. Favourite song: - Ya Aachkou

Vet hoor. Niet helemaal mijn ding. Maar wel top

Very chill album, though it was very long. Wish I knew more of why this was chosen to be on this list. It sold well enough, but I wouldn't consider this an unknown gem or anything.

Pre-listening thoughts: once again always skeptical of the world submissions on this list. But hey, if nothing else, they’re a starting point since this is a genre I never really seek out. Post/during listening thoughts: well this isn’t on Spotify and I can’t even really find a good version on YouTube but the few tracks I was able to find are lowkey really gas. Actually bummed this isn’t on Spotify. Why the fuck is there an imagine cover shoehorned into this album. 6.5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: prolly not Fav tracks: see idk if I’ve even got the right track names on these janky ass YouTube videos bro 😭 whatever Least fav tracks:

Every now and then, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die throws in a record from outside the usual focal points, i.e. America, the UK, Europe. Sometimes these selections turn out to be hidden gems that expand your musical worldview. Other times, they feel like obligatory inclusions, as if someone flipped through an atlas and thought, We need more from [insert region here]. Khaled’s Kenza, released in 1999, lands somewhere in the middle. It didn’t feel like a revelation, the kind of album that reshaped my listening habits, but it had enough compelling moments to make it worth the time at leas t once. The opener, Aâlach Tloumouni, immediately stands out, Trigue Lycee is a highlight, and Mele H’bibti is genuinely thrilling. The album’s most criticized moment is the cover of Imagine, and while the song itself is forgettable, the linguistic mix—sung in Hebrew and Algerian—is the more interesting takeaway. In 1999, a more optimistic time, this must have felt like a symbolic gesture. But in hindsight, it’s hard to see how either artist benefited beyond reinforcing their existing audiences. What ultimately holds Kenza back is its balancing act between authenticity and accessibility. Raï, a genre born in Algeria that blends Arabic, French, and Berber influences with jazz, funk, and rock, has always thrived on fusion. But here, the pop and funk elements feel more like a play for Western attention than a natural evolution of the sound. There’s still plenty to enjoy, but it’s not the landmark Raï album I need to be listening to. Still infinitely better than DJ Khaled.

The first track set the standard so high, then this went on sounding like early 90s “adult contemporary” pop and never recovered.

Could not find

Good overall. Didn’t know a word that was said. Sounds like a turn of the century album. Difficult to find the tracklist on YouTube.

This album was a nice surprise. A little long and a bit cheesy in some spots. I'd listen to it again. Loved the voice and intonation.

Tricky to rate! There were some bits I really enjoyed, and I liked the overall vibe - but some bits were pretty ordinary and felt dated. Mele Hebibti was my favourite. Imagine was a cover I never knew I didn't need! From the perspective of needing to listen to it before I die - I'm happy I heard it.

Couldn’t really find a whole lot of this one, but I liked what I heard! The second song especially was great. But I’m not really sure how to rate it, not having been able to listen to the whole thing, so I guess I’m just gonna go with 3/5? It’s definitely not something I’d listen to often, but fun every now and then? Sooo…

Interesting album, not really something that I would want to listen to regularly, but the production was very good.

Just too long and too poppy. But not bad, the songs with more maghrebi instrumentation being the best here. Just feels like peak CD era with that bonus track.

Good album with tons of strings and different instruments and some catchy rhythms.

Tässä oli paikoin upea meno! Juhlat! Hieman sillisalaatti, esim. Imagine-coveria en ihan tajunnut, mutta toisaalt aloin odottaa, mitä tulee seuraavaksi. B-puolella pidot parani. Jopa 4?

Artisti kokee itsensä pop-tähdeksi. Hyvä niin: biisit ovat hallittuja, päämäärätietoisia ja tarttuvia. Mikä tärkeintä: ne hymyilyttävät. Kakkosraidan duetto voittaa puolelleen, ja esimerkiksi Melha-kappaletta hyräilee mukana jo kuuntelun aikana. Levyn negatiiviset puolet ovat siloiteltu tuotanto sekä artistille ominainen makeilevuus (sinkkubiisi.., Imagine..??). Ihan kaikki raidat eivät uppoa. LP on silti kaiken kaikkiaan kokonaisuus, joka kannattaa kuunnella, ja jonka kuuntelen joskus uudelleen. 3,5

Kenza wasn't on Spotify so I listed go Khaled instead. Honestly a fun little album. I enjoyed it.

there is a lot of good here, but also just a lot period. It runs long. but it makes up for that runtime with enough good tracks. At the end of the day its just not for me, although that Imagine cover was pretty good.

If this would have been a tight 40 it would have been a 5. But the longer it went on the less I enjoyed it and at an hour 18 I’ll never return to it. Which is a shame because there’s good stuff all over the album but holy shit dude someone needs to tell you No every once in a while

Maybe not the most cohesive album - the Imagine cover threw me - but a good listen nonetheless!!

I thought this was a cool new genre that I haven't explored before but Imagine is a bad song

Hard to find but cool when I did

Wow what a whirlwind! Did not see the Beatles cover coming. What an array of styles. A bit of fun. Would I go back for more? No probably not. But it was impressively energetic and varied

I enjoyed this. I found it a bit cheesy in places, wasn't a fan of the Imagine cover, it was too much. But overall it was enjoyable.

I found a playlist on YouTube for this album since neither Spotify nor Apple Music streams it. I don’t know enuf to judge it, not merely b/c I don’t speak Arabic but b/c I can’t calculate its influence. Musically, I’m not moved, but I’m not repelled either. In other words, I conclude benightedly that it’s middle of the road.

"Kenza" is the fourth studio album by Algerian singer-songwriter Khaled. Rai, which is Algerian folk music, is the assigned Wiki-listed genre and ,although I know nothing about Rai, I heard a lot more musical styles. The album was named after his second daughter. The album was produced by Steve Hillage, Jean Jacques Goldman, Christophe Battaglia and Lati Kronlund. "Aâlach Tloumouni" begins the album with a violin-led Middle Eastern melody. Khalid enter with his soulful, powerful voice. It's also got a Caribbean/African beat. "El Harba Wine" has a happy, bouncy beat. Khalid is co-lead singers with Amar. It has a great uplifting melody with the acoustic guitar and ney. Khalid covers John Lennon's "Imagine." Noa begins the vocals in Arabic. Khaled enters and the vocals switch to English. An interesting twist with a violin-led Middle Eastern flavor. "Melha" fuses a violin-led Middle Eastern melody and groove with a Niles Rodger-esque guitar. "El Aâdyene" combines horns, violin and an accordion. Wow, this is like smooth/easy jazz. A nice sax solo. The album closes with the beautiful "Leili." It's soulful. The multiple vocalists along with Khaled really reminded me of a song off of Peter Gabriel's "So." This is a very enjoyable album. Khaled has a strong, emotional voice. I have to be honest I did not closely follow the lyrics since they are mostly in Arabic (and maybe some French) and one of the aspects of the rai folk style is that the lyrics typically concern social issues particularly the policing of the European colonies. However, the music is mostly uplifting. The music covers ballads, Middle Eastern, African, dance, disco, pop. R&B, smooth jazz and even a New Orleans-style song. There's more horns in the second half. Multiple lead instruments keep the music interesting. It's an album that everyone should like to some extent.

Part of the fun of this list is getting album's I'd never have listened to otherwise, and this definitely fits that. Very fun. Not sure the Imagine cover really adds anything though and it feels a bit too long

I'll be frank, I did not listen to the whole thing, I could not find the full thing anywhere whatsoever so I picked a few tracks and went from there. Based on those tracks I thought it was an interesting album, obviously I could not understand the language since I'm an English person but the vocals were "rough" sounding, which I'm am not sure if that was a genre thing since I'm not used to this kind of music at all, the production was cool I liked the instruments I heard going on, they sounded sort of Arabic if that makes sense but they were nice. Because of the fact I'm not able to understand this album fully I'll give it a middle of the road ranking since I don't think this deserves any lower and I'm not the best person to judge this music. Favorite Tracks: Not Sure! Maybe I'll try to give it a full listen someday, i'll try to see if i can find the full thing.

I enjoyed this guy, it was quite refreshing to hear some Algerian music. I’ll give him a 3 but it’s on the higher side of the scale. Imagine was out of place but I bopped along with the rest.

N/A on Spotify...but the guys has 20 other albums there. I dug it. Authentic sounding, not sure if its the best of that genre or not, but good background.

He has a nice voice and I thought it was cool the way he mixed music from different countries together on this album. I probably wouldn't choose to listen to this, though. Rating: 3

This was pretty cool, I liked how poppy it was whilst still being a new flavour for the game. Unfortunately the Imagine cover is unforgiveable.

Liked it overall. Standout songs: Aalach Tloumouni Raba raba

His voice is pretty fuckin' sweet. Quite a fun record. That "imagine" cover though, wtf.

The genres are all over the place on Kenza. The vocals are exciting: relatable and exotic at the same time. It didn't make a lasting impression on me but I enjoyed it all the same.

Upbeat and interesting in its own way. I'm sure there's a setting where this would be really good for more than 1-2 songs. I just don't know what that setting might be. I'm giving it 3 stars for the benefit of the doubt.

A veritable buffet of sounds here, most quite accessible. Bouncy and fun to listen to although it did go a bit long. Favorites: El Harba Wine, Trigue Lycee, and El Aadyene.

01) Aâlach Tloumouni - 8,0 02) El harba wine - 7,5 03) C'est la nuit - 7,5 04) Imagine - 7,0 05) Trigue Lycee - 7,5 06) E'dir E'sseba - 7,0 07) Ya Aâchkou - 8,0 08) Melha - 7,5 09) Raba-Raba - 7,5 10) El Bab - 7,5 11) El Aâdyene - 7,5 12) Gouloulha-Dji - 7,0 13) Mele H'bibti - 7,0 14) Derwiche Tourneur - 7,0 15) Leïli - 8,0 TOTAL: 7,43 (74/100) Current ranking: 216/424 Khaled's album that doesn't have "Aïcha" on it? Damn, that hurts...

Nice change of pace. Imagine cover was nice.

It was fine

i'm happy to say that i've listened to this album, however i don't this will be put into any of my playlists

I've got hundreds of records from all around the world, either downloads or physical copies... and of course one of the amazing things about this part of the 21st century is that you can think of a country and be streaming music from that country within seconds. It's absolutely amazing and not something anyone should take for granted. An Algerian, but I think he lives in France, Khaled (once Cheb Khaled) is the kind of international pop superstar that most of America will not have heard of. ("You mean DJ Khaled?") Recording since at least the '80s, he is one of the preeminent Arab Rai singers in the world. I don't dig a lot of modern 'world' pop music, and I don't really dig this album. I can't deny its broad appeal, beautifully sung in multiple languages, with heavy 4/4 beats throughout, with a slick production. I can get behind the groove and vintage singing style in "Melha" and "Raba Raba" and a couple of others (the Bollywood-style duet of "El Harba Wine" would have been cool if the drum part didn't sound exactly like Fleetwood Mac's "Second Hand News"), but other tracks come off sounding like airport lounge music thanks mostly to the dated '90s western elements. And I don't need another version of "Imagine", thank you, I don't care WHO sings it.

1990s world music that uses any kind of synthesizer all sounds the same. Bad. And cheap. I think they must be using the same library or something. What am I supposed to say about this? I’m glad there’s music on this list from Algeria. But like. I have no context for this? It sounds fine. Perfectly fine music. Just next to impossible to find online.

I'm not feeling very strong about the album yet, I don't feel like it's either bad or good. Definitely I wouldn't call it the best, and then, it's of the length that makes it a bit unfocused, and doesn't encourage a quick relisten. Hesitant 3, but I think it could be a 4.

Enjoyed this

Interesting blends of genres and sounds. Feels very nostalgic.

Yes this was something I would normally not listen to, but many others do, even without a book that suggests it to them. While listening to the first song I expected the whole album to be like that, but it became more poppy, which is not always a good time thing in his case.

Was actually kinda nice but way too long. Definitely the first Algerian artist I’ve ever listened to. I never thought I’d ever get to hear imagine sung in Arabic.

oof. The reason Imagine worked for Lennon is that it's pared back. This was just too much. Too many singers, too much going on in the background. The best part is about 3 minutes in where it's just strings and percussion. That glaring outlier aside, the rest of the album (playlist on YT) I appreciate being exposed to a pinnacle example of a musical genre I only really hear in movies.

Generally enjoyed the album, the second half more than the first one. Also cringed a but at the Imagine cover but must admit it was not necessarily a bad experience.

Hier was ik wel nieuwsgierig naar, want Khaled liet in een aantal eerdere hits horen dat hij muziekwerelden goed met elkaar kon verbinden. Hierdoor viel het eerste nummer me tegen. Want die arabische klanken vinden niet die mooie middenweg. Gelukkig staat dat nummer niet symbool voor de rest van het album. Khaled mengt verschillende westerse muzieksoorten met arabische klanken. Er is geen nummer dat me doet opveren, maar om dit eens een keer te horen, is best leuk. Voor zo'n drie kwartier. Want uiteindelijk duurt het me toch te lang.

okay middle Eastern sound. Not my jam, not bad, but probably won't come back to.

Bem aconchegante, parece um álbum brasileiro, só que do gênero Raï e cantado em Árabe. E tem Imagine all the people!

Gostei desse álbum, pois ele foge um pouco do estereótipo "árabe", sendo um álbum que percorre por muitos ritmos musicais (rolou até um quase hip-hop ali), mas sem deixar a essência vocal bem marcante. Um cd para ficar na memória.

It was... different.

Good but unremarkable Arabic music with an odd cover of Imagine stuck in the middle

Tried going into it with an open mind and I even liked the start but man this shit is too long for me

Pretty cool. I’ll lend more ear.

Not to be confused with the other Khaled or DJ Khaled. "Kenza"'s Khaled is better than the latter. "Leilli" is the best song on this album. The biggest problem with "Kenza" is that it's too long. It should've had 5 songs less. 3 stars for "Kenza".

Cheerful, light-hearted and fun music. Don't believe I have ever hear of this important singer or this type of music, so it's good exposure.

A weird mix of seemingly traditional music and the most 90s beats you could imagine. Bit too long, but no one can complain it's generic.

Not terribly impressed and not what I was in the mood for. 2.5 stars

78% Best: Aalach Tloumouni; Trigue Lycée; Ya Aâchkou; El Aâdyene Must-Hear? Not quite, but it is good

Pretty good

Because if travel and the fact that I couldn’t listen to this through my usual streaming service, I had to skim through this on YouTube. Not can I claim any knowledge about this kind of music. So I can’t say I gave this album a fair shake. However, what I did hear I didn’t love. I mean he seems ok. His singing is cool. But the arrangement struck me as pretty basic. And that cover of Imagine isn't great. Anyway, this is a 3 only because I feel unqualified to give it anything else.

I enjoyed the Arabic tunes more than the French...not that I can understand either one but when you compare Aalach Tloumouni to C'est la nuit...I wanna be at the hookah lounge where Aalach is jaming in the background. It's hard for me to hear anyone cover Imagine. It's just so cringey...even with a slight North African vibe.

Best Song: Trigue Lycee. Loved the energy, loved the brass. Give me more. Worst Song: Imagine. I hate every incarnation of this godforsaken song. Overall: A mix of interesting and upbeat tracks and slow, uninteresting ballads. Overly long, but tracks like "El Aadyene" make the overall experience enjoyable enough that I can imagine returning, albeit while skipping some of the slower tracks.

Any time I get exposed to international artists that I otherwise wouldn't have known about, it's a good thing. While I have never heard anything by Khaled in the past, I can certainly hear why he is highly regarded in the genre of raï. This is an overall good, albeit very bloated, album. There is a question of the language barrier being an issue for a piece of work that is heavy on vocal performances. But I'm no stranger to it being a big fan of the Japanese music scene. I only note this because I have virtually no point of reference to really properly review this; as I'm not even that familiar with raï. Khaled seemingly draws from influences all over the world. From western pop sensibilities, to disco, to funk, soul, and a surprisingly beautiful cover of John Lennon's 'Imagine', adding many grandiose elements to the song's simplicity yet not taking anything away from it artistically whatsoever. The vocals are all on point, and the production is wonderful. Another particular standout track is 'C'est la nuit' - a mid-tempo ballad with an absolutely gorgeous chorus that really showcases Khaled's strength as a vocalist. 'Kenza' is a fun album, and if you're put off by the fact the songs are in an entirely different language then I promise you the flavourful musicianship and top notch production should more than make up for it. My main issue, as mentioned above, is that it feels much longer than it probably should be. I give this a solid 3/5; this wouldn't be music I would actively seek out, but it has enough elements and ingredients that appeal to me to enjoy it if it's playing.

Interesting 7/10

What a nice photo for the album cover. This fellow looks like a nice family man who dearly loves his wife and children. I’m sure he treats them with all the love and affection he seems to put into his music. It’s funny I thought they spoke Flemish or German in Luxembourg, but this album sounds distinctly Arabic. Learn something new every day I guess.

What a nice album, I sure hope he has a good relationship with his wife and kids! I really wanted to love this, that opening track is amazing and gave me really high hopes, but ultimately failed to deliver. I'm sure he'd have a different album I'd enjoy more. But as far as this goes it's just good. 7/10 Fav tracks - Aalach Tloumouni, Imagine, Ya Aachkou, Melha, Raba-Raba, El Bab, Gouloulha-Dji, Derwiche Tourneur Least Fav - None really

Interesting but wayyyyyyy toooooooo lonnnnnnng. 2.5/5

Khaled's "Kenza" delivers solid raï-pop fusion with some genuinely catchy moments, even if it occasionally feels too polished for its own good.

I'm not into this music, but it was interesting to hear Algerian pop and the different influences present. I got emotional listening to Khaled's version of Imagine. What I'm guessing that many have missed is that the first verse is sung by Israeli artist Noa in Hebrew, then the second verse sung by Khaled in Arabic, then the two of them singing together in English "Imagine all the people/Living life in peace." So nice!

Although the vocals are really not my thing, it was quite interesting and diverse from a musical perspective

- végre valami nem angolszász!!!! - mi ez az ótvar trash 90s pop hangszerelés, elrontja az egészet, pedig úgy megörültem az elején :( - MIÉRT - oké a B oldal hatalmas improvement, igazán lehetne ilyen az egész 🥹 - és akkor berakják a végére megint ezt a szart azzal a rémes dobbal -MIÉRT

Going to pass since it is so difficult to find this.

I do not know Arabic music well. Some songs I've heard through the time have an (for me) "exotic" sound, which I like. This album sounds for me like a mixture of Arabic music and French Chansons. Some of the songs I find very nice, some I don't like at all. Therefore it's a "3" for me. But much nearer to "4" than to "2".

Didn't mind the vibe of this album, whilst I had absolutely no understanding of what was going on most of the time, some of the songs made me want to shake my hips and do a little dance. Lots of the vocalisations are what I associate with an Arab wedding so felt very festive despite not knowing what they really mean. Best: El Bab Worst: Gouloulha-Dji 2.5 Stars

Not bad.

A few bad songs but honestly quite catchy. 3.5

Couldn't get this to come up on Spotify. I listened to an album by Khaled from the year after this one. It was enjoyable.

Some good, most not for me

It passes the vibe check. You don't need to know the lyrics, just go with the flow. All the grooves. No groove left behind.

Easily diggable world music. One likes the voice quite a bit, which is world-weary at times and fully showman-like on other cuts. The playing and instrumentation seem predictably exotic – whether appropriate or appropriated one wouldn't be qualified to ascertain. But it certainly sounds good, if overtly poppy and pretty obviously designed to appeal to mass/mainstream tastes (see the very sweet/borderlilne saccharine "C'est la nuit" – which the background moaning improves). But it must be said that multi-lingual mainstream tastes may seem more sophisticated than, say, that of the average American consumer for whom the record is in no way intended). The treacly "Imagine" cover is best skipped.

Alright

Ok, so as someone who really doesn't enjoy Arabic pop, I'll try to be unbiased: There are some real high points in this album. C'est la nuit is a lovely song. The sound mixing is impressive on this album. Khaled shows some pretty wide range through this album, and there is a lot of variation that shows a very talented individual and backing instrumentalists. But, all in all, it's just not (for me) a very fun listen. The vocals tend to head off into unexplored territory too often. Several of the faster tracks head towards a weird quasi-Bollywood pop sound, which isn't enjoyable. It's an ok album. I'll be ok not listening to it again.

boo spotify

Can't listen

Y a du bon et du moins bon

this album kinda slaps???? well, kinda. i have never heard of the non-DJ version of Khaled or this genre, raï, but i’m diggin it. the imagine cover was way better than the original, lmao. bummer that the best youtube playlist for this album has some crappy rips, especially the song melha. i definitely enjoyed the first few songs of this album the most. after that, i wasn’t really able to discern the differences between the tracks, and they were all a few minutes longer than they needed to be. this started as a 4 for me, but kinda dragged down to a 3 as time went on. wrap it up khaled!!! favorites: aâlach tloumouni, el harba wine, imagine, mele h’bibti

Ahhh albums like this are so hard to rate. Because no, I didn't really enjoy the listen but was I ever going to when it's aimed at people on the other side of the world? It's fun in parts so I'll give it a 3, even if it's way too fucken long

An interesting listen - it's certainly something outside my regular listening habits. Aside from Mdou Moctar, I don't normally find myself listening to artists from this part of the world. The album definitely shines when the songs don't feel over-produced and glossy, which some unfortunately do. The "King of Rai" definitely shines when the songs feel more like 'Rai' than anything else. I also have to agree with other reviewers and note my distaste for the "Imagine" cover. Oof.

only one song was available on spotify but i thought it was cool.

Is the YouTube algorithm gonna start suggesting Middle Eastern yacht rock? I think it might. Is that a bad thing? I'm not sure.

I don't understand a word, and I don't know much about the man himself, but his music feels uplifting and has a great fusion of influences. Even some electric organ on El Aadyene!

It was good musically. I struggled with finding the album

Didn't really do much for me, but his voice is pretty great! A 2.5 for me, but bumping up.

There’s a lot of great stuff here and it’s an incredibly varied album drawing on Algerian folk music (raï, I have now learned), French chansons, funk, hip-hop, and 90s power ballads. The opening track slaps and El Bab is another really fun one, and there a couple of very nice ballads as well - but at 80 minutes it is just very long and the last couple of tracks aren’t too exciting. The cover of Imagine is also… definitely a choice

Oranin varjoissa 29. helmikuuta 1960 syntyi Raïn tuleva kuningas Khaled. Jo hyvin nuorena hän valloitti yleisön suloisella ja melodisella äänellään. Syntyi kohtalo. Historia kerääntyy. Sinkkuja tulee jatkuvasti ja planeetta löytää hänen teoksistaan ​​ajatonta musiikkia, joka on täynnä ihmisyyttä ja jota kaikki sukupolvet hyräilevät. Hänen refreenensä valloittamana yleisöllä ympäri maailmaa on vain yksi rivi huulillaan: ''Kyllä, se on elämää!''. Lähettäjä Khaled. دَ إِلَى الأَبَدِ آمِينبَانَا الذِي فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ، لِيَتَقَدَّسَ اسْمُكَ لِيَأْتِ مَلَكُوتُكَ لِتَكُنْ مَشِيئَتُكَ فِي الأَرْضِ كَمَا السَّمَاءِ اعْطِنَا خُبْزَنَا اليَوْمِيَّ اعْفِنَا فِي مِمَّا عَلَيْنَا فَقَدْ أَعْفَيْنَا نَحْنُ أيَضاً مَنْ لَنَا عَلَيْهِ وَلاَ تُدْخِلْنَا فِي تَجْرِبَةٍ لَكِنْ نَجِّنَا مِنَ الشِّرِّيرِ لأَنَّ لَكَ الْمُلْكَ وَالْقُوَّةَ وَالْمَجْدَ إِلَى دَ إِلَى الأَبَدِ آمِينبَانَا الذِي فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ، لِيَتَقَدَّسَ اسْمُكَ لِيَأْتِ مَلَكُوتُكَ لِتَكُنْ مَشِيئَتُكَ فِي الأَرْضِ كَمَا السَّمَاءِ اعْطِنَا خُبْزَنَا اليَوْمِيَّ اعْفِنَا فِي مِمَّا عَلَيْنَا فَقَدْ أَعْفَيْنَا نَحْنُ أيَضاً مَنْ لَنَا عَلَيْهِ وَلاَ تُدْخِلْنَا فِي تَجْرِبَةٍ لَكِنْ نَجِّنَا مِنَ الشِّرِّيرِ لأَنَّ لَكَ الْمُلْكَ وَالْقُوَّةَ وَالْمَجْدَ إِلَى . raba-raba

Not bad

Some interesting change of genre. Although I would not have listened to it myself, I was pleasantly surprised. Some songs are a bit unpleasant to my ear, others quite nice.

One thing I'm loving about this project is the discovery that non-American artists tend to use a lot more instrumentation style than standard U.S. pop. Khaled, one of the most popular Arab pop singers in the world, showcases this to a tee. He still has that distinct Middle Eastern vocal style, but across this record it coincides with styles like jazz, reggae, and hip-hop to name a few. Though I wasn't able to understand the subject matters of the songs, I still enjoyed listening. Notable Tracks: - C'est la nuit - Imagine - unexpected cover, but good! - Ya Aachkou - mix of 80s hip-hop, flamenco, some jazz, really cool - El Aadyene - nice reggae vibe 5/10

I do like it. Makes me want to travel, dance, learn a new culture and grow as a person. That said, definitely not making my Monday Motivation playlist.

I really enjoyed this album until I had to stop listening to do something else, when I came back to it, it hit different in a bad way. Might give it another chance another time.

Eksoottinen matka itämaihin. Arabialaista musiikkia ja on muuten monipuolista. Jokainen kappale suunnilleen eri genreä ja mukana myös John Lennon coverikin. Mele H'Bibti hyvä esimerkki jotain breakbeattia :D Mutta miellyttävää kuunneltavaa. Parhaat: Aalach Tloumouni, El Harba Wine, Trigue Lysee

Wish I could have found the actual version on Spotify instead of trying the YouTube version. Either way, I liked it. Pretty upbeat for a dreary day. 3/5

Ya know, from the jump this had 3 energy and it never proved otherwise. I appreciate the cultural crossover at play here (though Imagine was, well, not great). Really enjoyed El Harba Wine. And otherwise I failed to take direct note of song names, but this made for a fun background play. I will say, some of the balladry sounded very much of the late 90s (not in the best of ways).

Those beats were pretty dope, but the singing was kind of rough to listen to for a full hour long album not going to lie. Towards the end it did grow on me. But I think this may want to be my first and only Rai album I listen to. The instrumentals were so unique and pretty elite though. That cover of Imagine was mad toight.

Interesting and unique from the perspective of a westerner. Wouldn't listen again, tho.

Cool to hear stuff like this but not for me

Hard to find this album, too bad the only way I could listen to it was through a shotty youtube playlist that was missing some songs. The bass was my favorite part of this album. I thought it was pretty well mixed too. The cover of Imagine was really good too. Can't say I would go back to this one.

I enjoyed this album, but more like a musical tourist than from any informed perspective, which is always a bit disappointing. This is more of my own limitation, I know, but it's a problem I experience with so many of the non-English-language music styles in this collection, and this is no exception. But it *did* make his version of "Imagine" an interesting experience. Sadly, the Wikipedia entry had very little to offer as background, but the entry for the album in the 2005 edition of the book was more helpful in establishing *some* context for the "Rai" style and Khaled's pedigree. In the end, though, I still felt more like I was listening to some sort of weird mashup of a James Bond/Jason Bourne/The Passenger (1975) soundtrack than appreciating an old and adapting musical genre.

I enjoyed the mix of styles and languages on this album.

Solid effort not my jam

Only found one song but that song was 3?

3/5

Had some good moments, liked when the Algerian folk sound was blended with funk especially but found the album dragged a bit by the end

Production and instrumentation on this is excellent. Great vocals although hard to fully connect with when I don't understand the language but that's a me problem. Definitely a bit too long but it was really fun, honestly shocked at how much I enjoyed this.

3.4 stars rounded down.

It’s enjoyable and something different

Me gustó mucho por momentos y me hartó bastante por otros

I’ve never been to drug fuelled party in French Morocco but as least now I feel like I’ve had part of the experience

While I'm not hip to the genre, the middle eastern sounds and singing really connected with me.

3.5

Could only listen to a bit but what I could listen to on youtube went hard

Apart from Imagine I quite enjoyed this album. 3*

I quite enjoyed it! It was fun.

Let’s all agree that there are plenty of “Imagine” covers out there - thank you. Kenza is also too long and could have easily been shortened by removing “Imagine” and the Arab version of “C’est La Nuit”. Now that we’ve moved past the negatives - this album is just a jam! It’s hard to sit still when Khaled does his thing and I find it difficult not to be instantly charmed by both music and vocals. Raï is one of the many African genres I have only briefly delved into before this. I doubt this’ll be my last encounter though.

Great opening track, but disappointing afterwards, too Euro-pop-y in its fusion and beats. Still, a rare bit of variety on the list.

This is good stuff. I wish it was easier to actually find and play this album, though there's tons of other stuff by Khaled out there.

Decent album in a genre I never listen to. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't really be able to differentiate this against anything else in the genre. It's fun for a listen, but I wouldn't revisit. 2.75/5

This was a real pain to find for whatever reason. Anyway, I have no idea what's going on, but I guess I don't hate it?

Interesting album. Not everyday that we get a foreign language album and they always pose an interesting challenge to judge. I thought musically this was a solid album. I do like to know what the singer is saying a lot of the time so that was a challenge. The use of different instruments and music styles was definitely an interesting switch up. Not sure if this is something I will actively pursue going forward but im glad we got this album.

DJ KHALEEEED sooo e schöni sprach d striicher simmer fast echli z luut? uhh c'est la nuit huren schön ui nei ich find imagine scho so mengisch chli ahstrengend, weiss nöd öbnich es cover guet find wenigstens singeds arabisch NVM BITTE NÖD ENGLISCH oh oke d scratches findi jz nöd so nötig, würkt wie wenns eifach innetah worde sind wills damals gad beliebt gsi isch in westeuropa el baber ES ISCH FUCKING LANG

For people who like Arabic music.

More of a 3.2

5.5/10

In an alternate universe this album could be one of my favourites but it's not . Not taking anything away from it , its just alright .

I really like the maqams they use in Arabic music, but the production on this album feels kind of bland to me

Okay, C'est la nuit was cool

Reading about this style of music, it apparently has a bit more political bent to it than I was expecting. Not knowing the language, I hear yearning and nostalgia and assume it's romantic, but that may only be in parts. Good listen either way!

Some lovely tracks and some absolutely awful tracks, some to dance with and some to skip

Started off very strongly but lost momentum as it went on. Imagine was not great, but there were some other good bops on here that made us want to dance.

This slaps, not on youtube

Unfortunately don't speak the language so can't comment on it too much other than, some songs sounded nice. And that's all you need sometimes

Fourth studio album? Say it ain't so Joe. Admittedly, Youtube Music only had a few of the songs of this album, so I can't listen to the whole thing. It's got a lot of energy.

A tough one to evaluate, though it is pretty approachable for a non-English album. Trigue Lycee was a standout on a first listen and it was all fine, though I was interested in skipping Gnawi style after a minute or two in. I doubt I'll be listening again, but this was a good experience.

Instead of something playing at the local pub, this would probably play where I usually get my fast food later in the evening, so it feels somewhat familiar. It was funny to suddenly hear Lennon's Imagine in the middle of unknown foreign music.

Fun album. Wasn't able to understand the words, but I did enjoy the music. 3/5!

Note: This album is not on Spotify, but I found it on Youtube. This should be interesting, Algerian pop... and it gets off to a really good start. The first song has a very cool beat and groove. The instrumentation is consistent with my expectations from that region of the world. Can't comment on the lyrics, as they're Algerian (I presume). Certainly, a niche album, I doubt I'll listen to it again. But it was interesting, and far from boring. 3/5 to

This slapped. I really sometimes get caught off guard by traditional non-American music set in modern productions / tones / songwriting techniques, and this one hit that. The concept is like taking something old and conventionally "dated" and reviving it while still respecting where it comes from. Sort of like how a band like "The Punch Brothers" do traditional bluegrass and folk music but will play a mandolin like it's a guitar in a Radiohead track. This album did that, and I enjoyed it. Cool album cover. It's nonchalant and yet makes you really think about the composition. Plus the graphic design and colors are awesome. Very happy with this one and will listen again.

It’s a middle eastern bop.

Variety, the Arabic sounding songs were cool

Klingt für mich fremd... aber ist wohl in seiner Art großartig.

(Chab) Khaled on the list! Big hero of mine, once since I heard his addictive La Camel (Khaled en Safy Boutella) years and years ago, song that never left my mind. First song of album was great, but then e.g. C'est La Nuit and the cover of Lennons Imagine? Nope. Boring. So overalll: only 3/5 )-:

Ok, here's one where I wish I'd had the book to reference because I'm curious what they had to say about it. I don't know...anything about Rai music, and while the wikipedia entry for Khaled indicates he's one of the most important musicians in the genre, I'm still wanting to contextualize this within the wider Rai genre and the Algerian musical landscape. Alas, this is another album where the only non-credit/tracklist piece of info is the album's presence on this very list, and while there's room on this list for every Scottish winner of the Mercury Prize, there's only room for one Rai album.

didn't save :( cba writng it all out enjoyable listen, good background music for me

nah because this kinda slaps somehow

When the more traditional tracks are playing, I can get behind this album. But the attempts at poppy or modernizing a traditionally ethnic music is where I get lost. Luckily for Khaled, the celebrity pandemic version of John Lennon's 'Imagine' can be catergorized as the worst version ever. 2.5/5

I like getting introduced to new things and whilst I didnt find this offensive, it didn't hold much interest for me. A low 3

Just wonderful! The tabla, the return to Middle Eastern beats, the joy

Not my usual type of thing but actually I can imagine myself dancing to a lot of these songs after a couple of drinks. Good vibes

There is only 1 song from this album available on Spotify in the USA as of 02/24. I guess I'm just giving it a default rating of 3 due to the fact that the 1 song was not bad but I have nothing else to go along with it either

I never thought I’d hear an Arabic version of “Imagine”, but here we are. This album is full of strong melodies and pretty great song construction. A nice surprise!

Good music, but not my taste. Also, almost impossible to stream. I tried spotify, amazon, YouTube Music and Apple. I finally had to listen to it on youtube.

Was a bit skeptical for the first few tracks but there are some really groovy cuts on here! Solid 3

6/10

For anyone dismayed that this album only has one song available on spotify, youtube has playlists of this album. Listening notes, some of the songs were interesting takes, many of the songs were not my speed.

Pleasant

Fun collection of songs

Eh

I would agree with the distribution of views on Youtube: "Trigue Lycee" and "Raba Raba" are good tracks while the rest are pretty forgettable. The fusion of the traditional sound and Western popular music just works really well on these two songs. For example, in "Raba Raba", you can hear a tango melody in the trumpet section in the middle, while the influence on the rest of the song is much more subtle: it creates more energy and makes the sound sharper. By contrast, a few of the later tracks give the impression that Middle Eastern elements are being added to a full song in another style (Latin, dance, and even hip-hop). Which can still be fun but is less of an actual innovation in music.

I don’t think this was very good but I was genuinely surprised at the start of nearly every song, which counts for something. I’ll almost certainly never return to it given that it isn’t on Spotify. 6/10

More enjoyable than expected. Definitely Arabian music

Cool to hear foreign music.The guys life is crazy but the music is just fine (club-ish?) songs.

Ýmislegt áhugavert, skemmtilegt popp-fönk inn á milli.

I feel bad giving this album such a low rating, because I'm actually quite fond of Khaled. But we're rating albums, and not artists. This album is where the music of Khaled really started to lose me a bit . Too smooth and polished, a far cry from his raw and energetic Rai from the 80's. The Algerian 80's period, when he was still called Cheb Khaled, was filled with amazing Rai and many classics were written in that period. His French 90's period, when he moved to Paris, brought many Western influences to his music, and made his music even more interesting. But here, together with the The Brooklyn Funk Essentials, he rehashes or reinterprets many of his older songs which really could've and maybe should've been left alone. Later he'll make better albums again. It's just not this one, I'm afraid.

I enjoyed the strings and the more traditional Arabic sounds. I didn’t much enjoy the attempts to incorporate modern pop & funk elements. Actually, I thought the album was a bit of a stinker at first but grew quite fond of a lot of the grooves in the end. I have no idea if this was an important, must-hear album within its particular genre, but it’s nice to hear something a bit different so I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt.

This had a bit of a rocky start, but I ended up kind of liking it. Nothing amazing, but pretty catchy and listenable and easy to have on in the background.

Only one song is on Spotify.

Decent, but difficult to find streaming

Bastante interesante , no es algo muy de mi estilo pero fue divertido

Good music, but went on too long

This is definitely an album I never would have listened to if I weren't doing this. So in that way this was great. I didn't particularly like it, but it wasn't bad either.

Good!

Total surprise. Track 2 was a total banger! Really enjoyed the album - first listen was amazing. Second listen it started to get a bit annoying

Lovely voice and songs, but a bit repetitive in the end and as a whole.

Love the international sounds that get included on this list...really expands my repertoire. This was another that pleasantly surprised me . 3/5

Odd but enjoyable the cover of imagine was unexpected.

ABDULpls It was alright, lots of variety. My hookah was done before this album finished playing, minus points for that

Decent world music

fascinating hybrid of dance, pop, and arabic music. very pleasing to the ear.

2.5-3.0

Quine El Harba is such a banger, I really like the instrumental. The vocals on track 1 felt pretty strained. Trig Lychee sounds wicked ahead of its time, very much reminds me of Kygo type stuff. The beat on E'dir E'sseba is awesome too. Gouloulha had annoying vocals once again. This one has some really great tracks, but also some pretty annoying ones.

Kenza, from Algeria Genre: Rai, Algerian Folk Music Not a fan of Arabic-style music... I currently live in an Arab country (for work) and do have some influences here. This is an album that I can just easily pass it by and not ever miss it. It is worth listening to though. There are some nice styles and sounds. I have a little more appreciation for the style of music now. I like the mix of Arabic, French and familiar versions of songs... Will I listen to it again? Hmmmm.... maybe not... but, I should. Especially the "best tracks" listed below... Best tracks: El Harba Wine, C'est la nuit, Imagine, Imagine shouldn't work but does. It is a beautiful version flawlessly sung as a duet. 3.5/5

Middle-eastern singing over pop-ish backing

Couldn’t listen on Apple Music or YouTube. Only could hear one song

There were a few tracks I actually enjoyed particularly for the music and percussion. This isn’t something I need to revisit, though.

I live in Qatar and Arabic music is all around. I choose not to listen. This is better than expected, but not really something I'd ever listen to. Ever. El Harba Wine is a nice listen. I like the male-female contrast in sounds. C'est la nuit - a French song. Whew, thank you. Very nice. Some songs should not be messed with... Imagine someone trying to remake the John Lennon classic, in a foreign language. Oh but I liked it! Quite a lot. Definitely my favorite from the album. The rest of the album is just ok. 3/5

Pensavo mi sarebbe piaciuto meno, ma non è un granché

replacement = calico

Could not find a way to listen to this album

He's one of the great Raï singers, btw not my genre.

Beetje gaar

Favourite songs: Melha, El Aadyene, El Harba Wine, Imagine Least favourite songs: C'est La Nuit 3/5

Not really sure I took all this in on the first listen, wildly different. Shocking cover of imagine though

Cool but no Imagine covers please.

actually pretty listenable for traditional Indian music all the songs after imagine are pretty decent 3.5

I mean... I'd kill to be this good in one language never mind three, but the cheesy production and the cover of Imagine left me cold. It's good. Not great.

Thought this was interesting, but a bit hit and miss. The first few songs were misses, but after the Imagine cover it really finds its feet. C'est la Nuit was my least favourite.

Tbf, Arabic “imagine” is kind of a vibe. 2.5

Interesting resource for one form of international (to Americans) music.

The first few tracks left me thinking that this is not my music. But after imagine it got way better.

There’s precious little music from outside the English-speaking world on this list, so it’s fascinating to hear what was popular in other countries during your own childhood. Khaled is an immensely talented and emotional singer, really pouring himself into his songs.

Not really my vibe, was nice but won't be running back to listen

This is a mixed bag, ranging from "this is fun" to "meh". And then there is the hideous cover verson of Imagine.... Anyhow, the beginning of the album left me intrigued, but it can't fill it's considerable running time with enough variation to stay interesting throughout. 2.5/5

So hard to rate when they come from a different culture and different language. From what I tried to take away I didn’t find anything overly interesting.

This was nice enough, but the duets plus the weird Imagine cover dragged it down. Best track: Mele H'bibti

This isn't a style of music I typically get to listen to, and for that alone I appreciate this album's inclusion on the list. Not sure this will enter my regular rotation, but certainly encourages me to expand my horizons (I have a soft spot for Arab music)

Or when Khaled reached out to the world, not my fav of his.

This was really nice at first, 4/5 stars experience. Then I thought it got so repetitive I wanted to turn it off, 1/5 stars experience. I realized too late it's because the Youtube playlist I played the album on was repeating songs. But regardless the songs started to all sound the same. 3/5 final answer.

This listener infinitely guilty of monolingual sins, Kenza's forgetability in each track's case comes down to production. Especially notable in the list context, this is clearly not music to be categorized "world": It's pop, this album crafted only partially for global, beiging taste.

Very fun and peppy music! There are some jazzy flairs and really interesting singing styles. I enjoyed it!

This album didn't exist on spotify or Youtube. So I had a harder time with it than anything on the list. I did find various songs by the artist, including an interesting cover of Lennon's "Imagine" and some that had titles which indicate they *might* be from this album. Still not sure. All mostly foreign language but seems well representative of the genre and there is talent present. I enjoyed a listen to a few songs but would never seek it out again.

Probably not something I'd listen to again, but I enjoyed it for the most part. It was interesting that, although the vocals were mostly in Arabic, the style of music was more western with just a bit of a Middle Eastern sound. 3 stars.

Best: E'Dir E'Sseba Worst: El Bab

I listened to a song or two from Khaled. It's too bad I can't listen to Kenza on Spotify. This sounds interesting.

Dat dit project mijn horizon verbreedt is duidelijk. Dit was ook weer zo'n verrassing. Heel erg poppy wel, maar zeker niet slecht

Not really my style of music, so really more a 2-star album in terms of enjoyment. However, it was a good experience in terms of learning about music from different cultural backgrounds and definitely not an album I mind playing in the background - so, rounded up to 3 stars. Even if it's not always my preferred style, this list would really benefit from some more cultural diversity like this Khaled album.

It is hard to get around the language barrier but if you listen to the musicianship on some tracks, it is pro. Production overall isn’t that bad. It spanned a lot of different genres from hip hop, to francophone, Arabic / African rhythms and Caribbean beats, electronic and disco.

Average. Liked some of the instrumentals though.

Was enthousiast om een niet-Westers album te krijgen, maar dat viel toch mee. Het begon leuk en toen was er ineens een imagine cover? Wel geïnteresseerd in Rai geworden dus ga de komende dagen wat meer checken. 2.5

I'm interested because it is quite different (the sound of it) from what I listen to normally, but it doesn't sound so good everything considered

It’s not really my cup of tea, but I appreciate that it got me listening to something completely different and for the time being I actually enjoyed it. That Imagine cover was the absolute worst though..

I had to listen to this on YouTube, and the quality was not great. But I thought this was fine. I have not listened to music like this before, so it was new for me.

couldn't find on streamer. boo.

Probably an important album but not my taste. I tried it twice but nothing grabbed me. Interesting, at least, to listen to and think about the different song structures and singing styles.

I was totally surprised by this album, as I did not look this up at all. That first track comes on, and man that really slammed. It really gave that "Kashmir" vibe. The problem as the songs continued on, a lot of them started to sound the same. The only ones that sounded different were a bit cringe-y, like the cover of "Imagine". Wow, that was pretty rough (to be fair, there are certain songs that really should not be covered, except maybe live in the moment. And that's one of them, IMO.) So when he tried to stretch out into something a bit different, it did not seem to work, and staying in his lane the songs started to sound very similar. It is a curse of a lot of acts, isn't it? So I would definitely pick a track or two off this, but not hear the whole album in one shot.

Some really awesome pieces in here, and then some real head scratchers. The opening of Aâlach Tloumouni is kick ass, such a cool sound. El Harba Wine is pretty good too - great tempo and good vocal combination. And then C'est la nuit is a beautiful slower piece - found myself singing along to the chorus (at least the title). From there though, a lot of shoulder shrugs, or worse. His cover of Imagine is not good. From Trigue Lycee to Ya Aâchkou was okay, but those songs sounded like 70's or 80's funk ripoffs - a bit too much imitation and not enough innovation. The sequence from Melha to El Bab was better - not as good as the opening 3-song sequence but still admirable. And then another strange turn with El Aâdyene and Gouloulha-Dji that sounded like cheap 80's fare or bad mambo - overproduced, throwing in horns or brass or other instruments to sound hip but really sounding a bit campy. Mele H'bibti had some cool bongo and percussion but I swear I also heard a drum track in there, which was disappointing. Derwiche Tourneur also had some promise but just felt a bit flat. In the end, I was pretty fired up about half the album, but the other half was a bit of a letdown. Probably a 3.5.

Enjoyed it, first album from this part of the world that I've gotten and it was a fun listen. Only issue was it was way too long.

huh, i wasn't really used to foreign music albums, but this was really nice, especially the imagine cover.

Enjoyed

Could only listen to a couple of these songs so I can’t really make a comment

Well definitely an eclectic mix of... just about everything.

In my teenage years, I had a Casio keyboard. One of the features was that it had 128 backing drumbeats for you to jam along to. I was minded of one of them in the World Music section 'Rai' which stuck in my mind as also being the name of a member of the 1994 Brazil World Cup squad. Anyway, pleased with myself that I could identify this album as Rai, it was also quite enjoyable even if I had no idea what was going on. The Imagine cover was perhaps unnecessary but there were some good basslines and brass work to be enjoyed.

Intéressant! Ça fait du bien d'écouter autre chose que de l'anglo. Inégal, mais sympathique!

Khaled has a unique sound that truly gives credence to his credentials as not only a Bollywood star, but that of a global artist. This album has a lot going for it, including an amazing cover of "Imagine", but it is still held back by my lack of understanding the language.

I enjoyed the first two tracks then it all went a bit x factor. Fortunately the album picks up again later on and I found the later tracks quite enjoyable. 2.5+/5

This album is pretty good. The music is upbeat and nice to listen to, even if I don't understand what's being said. The Imagine cover is also pretty good. Although it won't affect my rating, trying to listen to this album on YouTube was annoying as hell, since no one has uploaded the whole album, and the one playlist for the album has the songs out of order and with misspellings in the song titles. Favorite song: El Harba Wine Worst song: idk, I can't remember which song is which honestly

I am going to put this down to me having no interest in the MOR pop on display in this album. An extra star for the fact it is in Arabic, a language I have not come across on this list before. And thank goodness it isn't another half-baked British Blues band. Too cheesy for my likes

I like it when the generator throws these up. Really good production though the synthetic horns grate a bit. Didn't like the Imagine cover. Its over long. Some of the rhythmic strings are ace. 3

Shannon liked, Alexander meh

Poppy Indian music, very good but maybe a little too poppy/dancy for my tastes.

Solid indian music

This one surprised me. Some catchy songs, good production, and enjoyable covers.

Personally, kind of a sucker for the classical/folk elements in “Mele H’Bibti” & “Aalach Tloumouni”, though the more contemporary-sounding songs aren’t bad. I like “C’est la Nuit”, though it also grounds the album firmly in the 1990’s. Some of the genre crossovers sound a bit corny, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t good (salsa in “Gouloulha-Dji”, Indian pop in “El Harba Wine”). October 13, 2022

Soundtrack to a foreign language film about buddy cops working undercover in Tangier. I enjoyed it but it would have been better with subtitles.

Some awesome songs with good beats but the vocals were a little grating on others.

Decent sound and some catchy/easy listening songs.

Some great beats, though a little long.

Kinda fun, though a bit long.

first listen refreshing listen, but not a very diverse album

La música se escucha muy bien. Ni idea de las letras. Supongo que Khaled es como el Luismi de por allá. La manera de cantar se parece mucho a como cantan los españoles, supongo entonces que el estilo viene de la influencia mora o algo así. Muchos instrumentos presentes. Supongo que el 2.5 debe subir a 3 aunque no tenga la más mínima intención de volverlo a escuchar.

No está mal pero siento que agregar "al músico más famoso del género (raï)" es casi casi por cumplir cuotas. El disco son básicamente baladas noventeras o rolas totalmente árabes. Ces't La Vie, quizá la más occidental de ellas (claro, está en francés) es incluso buena. También me sorprendió la rola que parece latinoamericana… no sé si sea intencional, agregar algo que suene latino (tipo Madonna o Lady Gaga) o haya una extraña conexión entre lo árabe y lo guapachoso.

A generous 3 stars based on only being able to listen to two tracks...

No clue. Not on Spotify

Catchy, bit eclectic.

Good music

See, this is what I love about this project (or this journey, if you prefer). There is no way in hell I would have heard of Khaled, much less this album, had I not embarked on this generator life. If you keep an open mind, you can be rewarded with interesting, worldly music like this. I enjoyed listening to this. It seemed like it pulled from all sorts of different genres and it felt upbeat and positive. I can’t say I would listen to this again (especially as it’s not on Apple Music), but I’m in a better mood having listened to this.

3.0⭐

I think his older albums are better. Songwriting and vocally solid, but it's still nothing new under the sun. (5/10) FT: C'est la Nuit, Alach Tloumouni

Won't listen again but had a nice time

Yeah, a pretty groovy listen. Much prefer the less Western songs. I'd rather listen to straight up Rai than something mixed with europop... Fave track - "Aalach tloumouni" maybe?

J'ai tout bonnement adoré le sketch du GPS marocain.

As of today, "Kenza" has, and will always have, the distinction of being the first Algerian album I've ever heard, my first exposure to rai and my first exposure to Khaled. Wikipedia lists him as one of the world's most famous Arab singers, synonymous with the genre of rai from the late 20th century with regular social commentary and undercurrents of protest. But as a Western listener, the only points of brief familiarity were the suffocatingly earnest "Imagine" cover and the fact it's produced by Steve Hillage, former prog-rock guitarist of Gong. Both very jarring things to take in amongst an album that is otherwise way outside my usual frames of reference, and once more showing this list's preference for world music with one foot in the West. It's hard to know what to make of this one on the whole: I'm not going to attempt a proper critical analysis of the music in relation to its genre and form, because I'd only embarrass myself. I had a great time with the more upbeat, celebratory songs like "El Harba Wine", the shuffling "Trigue Lycee", and especially "El Bab". These are often elevated by the instrumentation, including varied percussion, fluid basslines, and an omnipresent jubilant string section. On the other side, "C'est la nuit" is a beautiful, lilting ballad, if not quite showstopping enough to warrant a reprise later on. The main issue here is the runtime: nearly 80 minutes is quite tough in any genre. There's also some production that sounds distractingly 90's: the scratch effects in "E'Dir E'Sseba", the Euro-style four-to-the-floor beats throughout. It's also a pity I don't understand the lyrics and whatever depth they're communicating, but that is of course my problem rather than Khaled's. On the whole though, I had fun and I don't have any right to mark this any lower: "Kenza" deserves a fair listen from anyone.

14th June 2022 Listened in the morning while working from home. Went to the pub with Jess then hung with Jake. Eclectic Indian album , the cover of imagine was random